State police taking lead in Skelton boys case; no anniversary event planned

Tuesday

Nov 19, 2013 at 7:17 PM

By Dan CherryDaily Telegram Staff Writer

The Michigan State Police have been assigned the task of taking on the missing Skelton brothers investigation as the third year anniversary quietly approaches.

Investigators have re-examined the resources assigned to the case and decided to have the state police take the lead in the investigation, according to a news release. The Morenci Police Department had been the lead agency since the boys were reported missing.

The Skelton brothers, Andrew, Alexander and Tanner, were last seen on Thanksgiving Day in 2010 at their father's house in Morenci. They were 9, 7, and 5, respectively, at the time. It is believed they vanished between 2 p.m. Nov. 26 and 11 a.m. the following day. Their parents, Tanya and John, were in the middle of a divorce at the time. John Skelton was imprisoned for unlawful kidnapping and has refused to provide information on the boys' location.

Last month, investigators, prosecutors, behavioral experts and staff at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's headquarters in Alexandria, Va., convened to discuss the case. Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks was there to help lead discussions.

The resources available from the state will help investigators move forward until the case is solved, according to the news release. The Morenci Police Department and FBI will continue as investigative partners in the investigation.

"This case is one of the most significant unsolved cases in Michigan," Detective 1st Lt. Sean Furlong of the state police's 1st District special investigation section said in a statement. "Having the case at the MSP will ensure it receives the continued attention it deserves."

No vigil planned for Skelton bothersTanya Zuvers, the missing Skelton brothers' mother, said there will be no public commemoration of the anniversary of the boys' disappearance.

"We have decided to just spend time together as a family to share stories and memories of the boys," she said. However, she said, "we would like people to continue to care and share the boys' faces."

"The one clue to break this wide open is still out there somewhere," Zuvers said. "We just have to keep looking."

There have been community events the past two years during Thanksgiving weekend.

Anyone with information about the Skelton brothers' disappearance can call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678. Tips can be left anonymously.